Paintbrush
by mountain ash
Summary: After TEC, Artemis's mindwipe erases his memories.But he manages to cling onto Holly's name and the fact that she is important to him. Desperate to figure out who this Holly is, mindwiped Artemis starts to paint...HSxAF
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : I own nothing**

Foaly stared at the monitors. Displayed on the screens for all to see were the memories of Artemis Fowl the Second.

Holly had flown off just a few minutes ago. She needed to calm down. She was very against the Mud Boy's mind wipe. Problem was, the Council _was_ for it, so there was nothing Foaly could do.

Foaly reluctantly turned around, signaling to the techies that they could take Artemis back to the surface.

Just before turning off the monitors, Foaly let his hands sweep across the keyboard, saving the boy's memories onto a disk. He would watch it sometime. Maybe he would find something on it to cheer Holly up.

Back on the surface, around midnight, Artemis Fowl the Second awoke, and looked out at the stars. They were like sequins on black velvet-a fabric that, if sewn, would be the most beautiful dress on Earth.

He tried to imagine Holly wearing it, before realizing that there was no Holly. Why had he thought there was a Holly? Was Holly important?

Artemis drifted to sleep, making a mental note to investigate why he had been convinced, if only for a second, that there was a Holly.

The next morning, Artemis awoke last in the house. Butler was always up early, and Juliet had left early that morning with Angeline to go take his father to a doctor's appointment, then go to a spa. His father, Artemis Fowl Senior, was still not 100% after his time in Russia.

These thoughts gave Artemis pause. He felt that he should know more about what had happened to his father in Russia. But that was nonsense-how could he know more? His father wasn't yet comfortable speaking of it, and Artemis himself had definitely not been in Russia at the time of his fathers rescue.

Artemis didn't feel like leaving the confines of his room just yet, but a detour to the bathroom would be necessary- his eyes were so heavy with sleep, he would need a good splash of cold water awaken himself completely.

But when he did just that, something peculiar happened. Two contact lenses fell out of his eyes and into the sink. They matched his eye color perfectly, but Artemis didn't wear contacts.

With a frown, he scooped them up and headed to his bedroom, and more specifically, his laptop.

After a little research, he found that he himself had ordered these contact lenses, along with two other pairs, presumably for Juliet and Butler. Artemis scowled. Why could he not remember this?

A single memory chose that moment to drift back into his head like an origami paper crane on the wind.

This was not the first time this had happened.

Last night, he had thought there was a Holly, only to realize that this Holly either was a real person that he had just forgotten, or she was a figure of his imagination, (a sure sign that he was finally slipping into madness-Butler had told Artemis before that this would happen if Artemis continued to be so paranoid, yet at the same time fearless enough to take on dangerous projects).

Artemis pulled up Google and typed in **Define: Holly.**

The computer whirred for a second, and then several definitions popped up.

Holly: Any tree or shrub of the genus Ilex having red berries and shiny evergreen leaves with prickly edges

That was what Artemis had expected to see. So why was something nagging him in the back of his mind?

Artemis sighed. He was in a mental war with himself. What a disgrace. He needed to calm down somehow. He looked around his room for a distraction.

There-a painting by Leonardo DaVinci.

Butler always said Artemis's forgeries were just like the original. Artemis always disagreed.

Artemis quickly set up a paint set. Only this time, he wasn't planning on copying something else. No, Artemis was going to paint something original.

His paintbrush wove and danced across the blank canvas. Artemis wasn't sure what it was, just that he felt compelled to complete it.

As he painted, the sun outside his bedroom window rose over the green hills, slowly illuminating the sky.

Butler strode up the stairs. Master Fowl was generally up by now, with some new scheme. It was now eleven o'clock, and Butler was worried. He had tried to distract himself with patrolling the hallways, checking the security cameras, anything useful that also kept his mind off of Artemis's absence.

After all, there was nothing unsafe about Artemis being in his room.

Still, Butler was worried.

He approached Artemis's room slowly and quietly so as not to disturb Artemis should he be in the middle of an experiment.

Butler put his hand on the doorknob, and turned it slowly.

When he opened the door, he froze.

Artemis sat in front of an easel, not reproducing any painting Butler had ever seen, smiling in contentment.

Butler took a closer look at the painting. It was of a girl-about three feet tall, but with adult proportions. She had auburn hair hacked short, and a wide grin plastered across her face. She held a gun of some sort, and it was pointed outward, so that anyone who gazed upon this painting would stare down the barrel. She had pointy ears and hazel eyes. The picture had a frame of painted holly leaves.

The picture stirred something in Butler. Did he know this girl? No, the familiarity was false. Artemis could have painted this from pure imagination.

Artemis set his paintbrush down. It was finished. His painting. He had been trying to grasp anything in his head that might lead to the knowledge of her identity. He had found nothing in his head, but without knowing how, he had known exactly the right way to portray the female in this painting of his. How peculiar.

He turned around and saw Butler, staring at him.

"Good morning, Butler. Beautiful day outside, isn't it?

Butler was staring in a peculiar way at the painting. "Do I know that girl?" he asked Artemis.

Artemis didn't want to answer that question because he didn't know. He most definitely would find out, but for now he would just dodge the question.

"Pretty, isn't she? Well, Butler, I have no plans to leave the manor today- you needn't pack anything."

Butler listened to Artemis's speech. For once his employer didn't have some plot up his sleeve. This was new.

Before leaving Artemis to his work, Butler took one last look at the painting. Those eyes were familiar. Butler just knew it.

Artemis spent the entire day in his room. Every once in a while, Butler would come up and talk to Artemis-check to make sure Artemis wasn't in danger, more like. The day was uneventful after the painting, though it haunted Butler the way its eyes seemed familiar and dangerous. Artemis, on the other hand, was mesmerized by it.

Artemis decided that day that he would find out about this mysterious girl. He would find out about her, and then find her.


	2. spiderweb

**Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl, or any other character. **

Holly flew through the airy clouds, not having quite as much fun as she normally did.

Holly had just come from taking a candy-smuggling pixie to Police Plaza. She had been given permission to fly around, to check to be sure that no other smugglers were up on the surface.

At least, that was her official reason.

She knew that Commander Root had just given that assignment to her so she could have some time to fly and be away from her thoughts.

It was the morning of the second day since Artemis Fowl had been mind-wiped.

Holly knew that it was better for The People that Artemis's memories had been stolen, but it just didn't feel right. He had just been changing from monster to person when his memories were taken. What if, because of this, he went back to being a monster? What if all that progress wasted was the fault of the People?

Holly sighed. She couldn't keep berating herself, but her mind seemed dead set on doing just that.

"It sounds like an aweful lot of sighing up there. You all right Holly?"

Holly didn't want to talk to Foaly right now. She didn't need his sarcastic coments, or, worse, his simpathy. So she muted everything in her helmet, shutting the centaur out.

Now she could be alone with her Artemis Fowl misery.

With that, Holly got an idea. She turned and headed in the direction of Fowl Manor.

When she reached the haunting, looming house, she paused, for the first time considering the possibility that this was not a good idea. But of course it was-what harm could it do?

She flew up alongside Artemis's window, and peeked in. What she saw knocked the breath out of her.

Artemis Fowl was sitting on a cushion, staring at his painting. It was of a three-foot-tall girl with short auburn hair and pointed ears. It was number twenty-seven, the latest in a series of paintings featuring the same girl. There was one of her lying in arctic snow. One of her crouched beneath a tree near a bend in the river. Her raising her gun to shoot a coin flipping in midair. Her behind the wheel to some sort of vehicle. Her with her head thrown back, laughing. Her with blue sparks drifting down her arm as she healed something that went off the page. There was a close-up of her eye.

The painting's style changed a little bit with each picture. Lined up in chronological order, one could see that Artemis had started with a vibrant variety of colors, all used rather evenly. Slowly, certain colors began to dominate the pictures. The purples were the first to go. Then yellow, then orange, then blue, then green. Eventually, the paintings were all done all in red, black, and white. Finally, the red paint's consistency changed. It became a thinner paint, a different shade than the last one.

Artemis had finally, just an hour ago, had a flicker of a memory of this girl. She had been talking, telling him that there was a spark of decency in him under all the nastiness.

Artemis wanted to hold onto that girl, but that memory was all that he could conjur up.

Artemis absently looked down at his arm, where several cuts had been made.

Artemis was painting pictures in blood.

The paintings surrounded his room. Butler had tried to get Artemis to stop, but Artemis had simply locked his door and instructed through the keyhole not to disturb him.

He had to know who that girl was. There was something special about her, he could feel it. She had been special to him.

He had loved her.

He continued to paint her picture as he struggled to find her identity. It was like he was in a spider web-he couldn't escape his need to know her, and he wouldn't give up until he had.

Holly stared at the pictures in horror. There was no doubt that they were of her.

Artemis hadn't yet remembered her, but he wanted to. He knew something in his mind was amiss. And it was driving him crazy.

He knew she was there, he just didn't know where. And she could see it in his face-he would find her.

She ducked beneath the window pane when she heard a knock on Artemis's door.

"Alright Butler, come in." Artemis had locked himself away from Butler?

She heard the door slide open. "Artemis, this is crazy. You're hurting yourself."

Artemis was hurting himself? Holly risked a second peek into Artemis's room. Now she noticed that some of the paintings were done in a different shade of red. She turned to Artemis. Her eyes zeroed in on the cuts decorating his arm.

With a gasp she ducked under the window again. Artemis Fowl, her kidnapper, old enemy, new friend, was painting pictures of her in his own blood.

"Butler, I have to know who she is."

"Artemis, you'll kill yourself if you keep this up!"

"I will not stop until I know where she is and why she seems so important, but at the same time I can't place who she is. It's like there is a gaping hole in my head, Butler that I need to fill."

Holly started. Artemis had been mind-wiped. The actual memory of her was gone. But his strong mind had held onto her name, and that she was somehow important. If she had been of any importance to him before the mind-wipe, then she had become his friend. A friend that he lost to that machine of Foaly's.

"Leave me, Butler. I will find out who this girl is, and then I will find her and bring her hear."

Holly nearly fainted. _I will find out who this girl is, and then I will find her and bring her here. _Artemis planned on kidnapping her again. Only this time, it wasn't for gold. It was because she had been important to him before he was forced to forget why. Because she had become a friend he intended to keep.

Holly flew towards E1. She had to tell this to Commander Root and Foaly. As she went, she formulated what she would say. She didn't want him re-mind-wiped if she could help it. She wanted him to be given his memories back-he was planning her recapture that instant. He was a danger to the People without his memories. That would be her excuse. Foaly had a monitor camera in Fowl Manor. She would show them proof that they needed to restore his memories if her stories of the paintings were discarded as stories, or tricks of light.

She thought of the cuts on his arm and sped up a little.


	3. My Name Is Holly Short

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Butler sat by a window over looking the driveway to Fowl Manor, speculating about the girl Artemis painted with an obsession. Was she an assassin? Artemis tended to picture her with a gun and a dangerous glint in her eye. Artemis always seemed to be able to predict what was going to happen. Did he somehow know that this tiny woman would come after him?

No, that was ridiculous. Artemis didn't know who she was-that was why he kept painting her.

Butler cast another glance across the front lawn of the Manor. You could never be too careful.

Beneath the ground at this same time, Holly took a deep breath before bursting into Operations Booth, where Foaly and Root were meeting.

When she burst through the doors, Foaly looked happy to see her. Root on the other had looked like she had come in with a sign around her neck proclaiming that there was a traffic jam and teenagers were paying beach ball, passing the ball from car to car. His face could not have been redder.

"_This had better be good, Short! You shut Foaly out of your helmet! That is against all regulations!"_

"Sir, I have news regarding Artemis Fowl."

Root's face went from red to white in no time flat.

"Fowl? Don't tell me he's regained memory already?"

"Not exactly, Sir."

Root's eyes bulged. "Captain, tell me everything this instant!"

Holly took a deep breath and launched into her story about the paintings and Artemis's conversation with Butler. Roots face alternated white and crimson.

"I want proof!" the Commander cried, grasping at straws. This couldn't be happening! Fowl was supposed to be gone for good! Out of the game!

Holly turned to Foaly. "I believe you have a camera planted in Artemis's room?"

Root and Holly watched as Foaly pressed a few buttons.

"Foaly! Why do I suspect you havn't been _using _these cameras?"

"Because I got bored, and this really cool new gadget came out that I just had to try-"

_"FOALY!"_

A picture came up on the screens. Holly recognized it as Artemis's bedroom. The paintings lined the wall, just as she had said. But the occupants of Operations Booth only stared at those for a few seconds. Something else had their attention.

Artemis Fowl lay on his bed, smiling. His arm was bleeding. And it kept bleeding.

The three fairies were paralyzed with a mixture of fright and horror. Then, Holly leapt into action.

"Foaly, if I left right now, how much time would I have before Artemis bleeds to death?"

"You'd have enough time to stop the bleeding if you hurry, but Holly-"

Holly never heard the rest of what Foaly said. She was running to get on the next hot-shot. She had to get to Fowl Manor.

Ten minutes later, Artemis found himself by the window sill. His eyes were drooping, and he found he couldn't stand. He looked down at his arm-it was bleeding a little bit, as it had been for fifteen minutes now. He should be concerned about that. But he couldn't quite consentrate.

He had had another memory.

This time, he had seen Holly in a cell much like the one downstairs. Now, why would she have ever been there?

He had arranged for cameras to be set up around Ireland, looking for that girl. One of the cameras had caught her. And she was coming this way.

Butler, at this time, was on the grounds, in sight of Artemis's window. He told himself that he was here to make sure Artemis didn't faint out the window from blood loss. But he knew the real reason. He was watching for a three-foot-tall, pointy-eared assassin.

He chose that moment to look up. There was a shimmer in the sky. It was flying straight for Artemis's room. Butler unthinkingly pulled out his gun and shot into the sky.

Holly had seen Butler a little too late. She paid for it now. His bullet would have found her chest had she not moved at the last second. But the bullet had found different spot on her-her arm. She was loosing altitude quickly. She wasn't going to make it to Artemis's window.

She couldn't save him.

Artemis watched the bullet collide with the girl. Undoubtedly that was Butler-it wasn't Butler's fault, this girl flying towards his window would have been a good enough reason to shoot.

But he couldn't let the girl fall to her death.

If she did, her secrets died with her.

Artemis jumped out his window, kicking off the window sill.

Butler saw the assassin drop slowly-she was fighting. Then her head when limp and she dropped like a rock.

Then, his young charge had jumped out of his window.

The assassin had struggled a bit to stay in the air, and Artemis had pushed off his window sill, gaining force that way. So when Butler reached out to catch Artemis, he caught both Artemis and the assassin.

He quickly dropped the assassin, and then began checking Artemis for any signs of injury. He found none save the cut on his arm. But before he could bandage it, he heard a commotion near his feet.

He looked down. The assassin had removed her helmet, proving her to be the girl in Artemis's pictures. She was still conscious. She looked up at Butler and rasped out, "I can heal him."

Butler was taken aback, and didn't lower Artemis.

He watched as blue sparks traveled along her arm, healing the gunshot wound. She stood up (with a bit of a wobble) and touched Artemis's arm. Blue sparks sealed the cut. Then, the girl fainted.

Butler saw her, and all of his memories came tumbling back. The Troll. The radioactive train. Arnold Blunt shooting Artemis, only for Butler to get in the way.

Butler spent all afternoon tending to the unconscious Holly and Artemis.

Around evening, though, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Confused and cautious, he opened the door.

Standing on the front steps was major Trouble Kelp, with a gun identical to Holly's. He looked like he might back down at the sight of Butler, then gulped and asked "Where is Holly?"

Butler paused for a second, then hefted Trouble by his LEP suit and carried him to the living room. It was a miracle Trouble didn't faint. When they reached the living room, they found that Artemis and Holly had awoken, and were exchanging words. It appeared that Artemis's memory was restored.

Butler listened to a little bit of the conversation before entering.

"My name is Holly Short."

"I recognize you. It's good to see you."

"Artemis, you had better be coming up with a plot to convince the Council that you shouldn't be mind-wiped again."

"Oh, I am."

Butler smiled, and then walked into the room. Negotiations could be done later.


End file.
